The Eyes of a Soul Seer
by Cactus Bob
Summary: Yugi has the power to see souls. When Atem starts acting strangely, Yugi's power serves as both a blessing and a curse as he discovers that Atem's in bigger trouble than he imagined.
1. Fallen Angel

Yu-Gi-Oh (c) Kazuki Takahashi

The was the last fic I wrote and the last fic that I will write. It's not the best, but it has special nostalgic value.

* * *

Ever since I was a kid, I've been able to see people's souls.

The first time I can actually remember seeing a soul, though, was in the middle of second grade. The world turned dark and yellow, like the sun was setting, even though it was the middle of the day. The children turned to demons and angels and shadowy ghosts. The teacher stood like a golem over us, with roots and flowers sprouting from her earthy skin. I must have freaked out, because I remember the golem-teacher trying to comfort me and only making me freak out even more.

It used to be really bad. I used to try to walk down the street with my eyes closed because I was afraid to see people's true natures. And believe me, some people have really scary true natures. It all depends on how true to their consciences they've been. If they did something that was bad, then their soul turns into a monster. If they act so bad that they can't even hear their conscience anymore, then their soul turns into a skeleton—dead. It's a terrible thing to see.

When I was helping Grandpa in the Game Shop, I met someone with a dead soul. She was a kleptomaniac, and she was a good one, too. I knew something was wrong with her the first time I saw her soul. And when she left, she had taken a hundred and thirty-eight dollars worth of merchandize with her.

My sight caused me a lot of problems. I didn't want to interact with anyone because I was afraid of most of their souls, so I spent most of my time by myself. And even though I hated being alone, I was comforted by the fact that inanimate objects don't have a soul.

Then I turned ten years old. I was sick of hiding because of my sight, so I decided to learn how to control my ability. Now I can turn it on and off whenever I want. I don't use it very often, but sometimes I sneak a peek at my friends' souls, just out of curiosity.

Tea is a princess. The crown on her head, a little silver circlet, means that she's a good leader, but she's very modest about it. The crown covers a little star on her forehead. The star means that she has big dreams for her future, but the fact that the crown is covering it means that her concern for the people around her is keeping her from achieving her dreams. There are flowers in her hair, which means that she's a little vain, but the flowers are roses, which means that she's trying to be beautiful to impress someone she's in love with. There are rings on her fingers, a symbol of intense loyalty, and she's barefoot, which means that she's a free spirit.

Tristan's kind of a mystery. He's got a little bit of darkness around him—he has secrets—so I can't see his entire soul very well. But he's very earthy and very rooted, which means that he has a firm resolve and he doesn't yield to anyone easily.

Joey, of course, is a volcano. He's all earth and fire and lightning, so he's unyielding, spontaneous, and difficult to control. The fire is really intense and big enough to almost swallow him, so his fiery temper can get in the way of the rest of his life.

Grandpa is an old librarian. His age means he's really mature. He has an open book in his hand, which means that he knows a lot and he's willing to pass his knowledge on to others. He has scars on his body, which means that he's experienced a lot of hardship, and he has chains weighing him down, which means that he has regrets.

And Atem… I was the most curious about Atem's soul. When Atem was a spirit, I couldn't see his soul. But when he got his own body, I almost immediately looked at him. Atem is an angel king. There's a leadership crown on his head. He has gray hair, reflecting extreme maturity, but otherwise he's just a young man, so he's young at heart. He has wings like an eagle, which means that he has a pure heart and the best of intentions. He carries a sword, but it's sheathed—he has had enemies, but they're gone now.

I don't like to look at people's souls very often. It seems like I'm violating their privacy by finding out everything about them without them telling me. My friends are alright—I already know everything about them. But I can't do it with strangers. It wouldn't be fair.

My friends would probably want to know what their souls were like if I told them what I could do. That's one of the reasons why, when she was alive, my mom told me never to tell anybody about what I could do. People want to skip the hard work of finding out who they are, and so they'll come to me as a shortcut, she said. She's probably right, but… sometimes I want to tell my friends anyway. I'm sure that they would understand, and they wouldn't ask me what their souls looked like if I didn't want them to. But my mom told me not to tell anyone, and I need to honor that if I can.

* * *

Yugi and Atem sat across from each other at the kitchen table, eating cereal for breakfast. It was midsummer, and neither of them had anything to do today. They had fought off boredom by spending all of their allowance at the arcade, swimming at the beach, and playing Duel Monsters. Although they were bored, it was good that Atem came back to life when he didn't have to worry about school. That way, he could adjust to the modern-day world without the worry of tests and homework.

But Atem had been acting very strange lately. It hadn't started when he came back to life—on the contrary, he had been practically glowing with happiness when he received his new body. It had started a few weeks ago, but Yugi had no idea why.

One day in early July, Grandpa had sent Atem out to pick up some ricotta cheese for the lasagna he was making. Atem returned nearly five hours later, fuming with anger. He slammed the cheese onto the counter, although it was far too late for any lasagna, and retreated to his room without a single explanation for his behavior.

Although Yugi had pestered Atem for days, Atem had only vaguely explained that he had been "held up" and that the delay had "merely frustrated him." Yugi hadn't believed it, because Atem continued to act out of character. He would have mood swings—happy to angry to sad, and back to happy again, all in a few hours. He would walk into the bathroom right after waking up and emerge exhausted and ready to go back to bed. Atem always said that he was fine, but Yugi kept getting more and more concerned.

Yugi didn't like to look at people's souls. When Atem had come back to life, he had looked at Atem's soul once, but that was all. But maybe looking at Atem's soul would provide some explanation for his sudden change.

Yugi continued to eat as he accessed the power that he had put away all those years ago. He felt his eyes burn slightly, and then his vision changed. The world seemed to be covered in a sepia-toned haze. Colors dimmed, and light faded. He looked at his partner and nearly choked on his cereal. Sitting in Atem's place was a monster.

The creature that represented Atem's soul was terrible. It was scarred and bleeding and chained, writhing and screaming with pain. Its limbs were deformed and its face was twisted. Swords were lodged in its back, and it was oozing black blood from its limbs.

Yugi dashed to the bathroom, panting and holding his stomach. He tried to decipher the signs with a clear head. Scars—hardship. Chains—regret. Deformed limbs—helplessness. Sword wounds—the triumph of an enemy. And the monstrous form—a symbol of an unconscionable action. Yugi had to put the pieces together to form a whole picture.

The most logical conclusion was that one of Atem's enemies had forced him to do something that he hated and regretted. And because the wounds on Atem's soul were fresh and numerous, he had probably been forced to violate his conscience repeatedly over the past few weeks. But why had Atem kept silent? Why hadn't he told Yugi and the others? Was he trying to protect his ego? Was he trying to protect them?

Someone knocked on the bathroom door. "Yugi?" Atem asked. "Are you alright?"

Yugi turned off his soul vision. He didn't want to see Atem's soul again, not while it looked like that. He flushed the toilet, although he hadn't used it, and opened up the door. "Yeah, I'm okay," Yugi said. "The cereal just didn't settle in my stomach very well."

"That's unusual," Atem replied thoughtfully. "You eat cereal for breakfast nearly every morning. You could be ill."

"Oh, no, I'll be fine," Yugi said lightly. Atem seemed dissatisfied, but he didn't push—he turned back to his own breakfast and left Yugi to his nervous breakdown.

This was bad. Atem's soul was in agony, but since he hadn't told Yugi anything about it, Yugi would have to admit his power to bring up the subject. And to admit his power would be to break his promise to his mother. He couldn't do that unless there was no other choice.

Yugi lingered in the hallway until Atem passed by. "Atem," Yugi said. Atem stopped. "You've… been acting a little strangely lately. Have you noticed?"

Atem sighed. Every time Yugi started talking about this, Atem became more and more frustrated. "You've brought it up, but I told you, I'm fine," Atem insisted. "Yugi, this is getting somewhat irritating. Why won't you believe me?"

"Because you're not… acting like yourself," Yugi said. "It's like whenever you go into a room, you come out a completely different person. And sometimes you're angry and sad for no reason at all. I don't know what's up with you, and you won't tell me."

"Maybe you're just not used to living with me as an actual living person," Atem retorted defensively. "I was different when I was a spirit. When I received a body of my own, I changed."

Yugi clenched his fists. Atem wasn't the only one getting annoyed. "That's still doesn't explain why you only started acting weird when July started," Yugi said. His voice began to raise. Why wouldn't Atem just be straight with him? "You know what day I'm talking about. You went out for cheese and you came back furious. And ever since then it's like you went crazy. Why won't you tell me what's really going on?"

"Yugi, for the last time, nothing's going on!" Atem yelled. His voice echoed through the empty hallway. The two boys stood, staring at each other, breathing heavily through their nostrils.

"Yeah. I can tell," Yugi snapped. He opened the door behind him and slipped into his room. He fell on his bed.

He had never fought with Atem before. For that matter, he had never fought with anyone before. Atem had yelled at him. And all because of some lie. Yugi knew that he was right, and he was certain that Atem was just pretending to be ignorant. But would Yugi really have to dishonor his dead mother just to get Atem to be honest with him?


	2. WhiteOut BlackOut

Two hours after Atem and Yugi's argument, Yugi realized that he had to go to the bathroom. He had stayed in his room for most of the morning, half because he was reluctant to bring up his power and half because he was a little angry at Atem for lying to him. But this urge could not be suppressed. He would have to go outside of his room. He would have to break his promise sometime today.

Yugi hurried to the bathroom, took care of business, and returned to the hallway. Atem, it seemed, had retreated to his own room as well. Yugi took a deep breath and knocked on Atem's door. Atem opened it and appraised Yugi with an expression that Yugi couldn't understand. "Yes?" he asked.

"You and I both know that you're hiding something from me," Yugi said. Atem sighed.

"Yugi, if you came just to begin that again…"

"Let me finish," Yugi interrupted. "I shouldn't be angry at you for lying to me when… I've been lying to you too. So I'm going to tell you the truth. I'm going to tell you how I know that something's really wrong."

Atem seemed intrigued, but he fought hard to keep his feelings hidden. "Well, then."

"Alright. Let me start by guessing what's making you act so weird," Yugi said. He forced himself to look at Atem's contorted soul once more. "You have enemies… lots of enemies," he began. Already, Atem looked visibly shaken. "And those enemies have been making you do things that you hate. Things that you regret. Right?"

Atem stood still for a moment, frozen in shock. "How do you know all of this?" he asked finally.

Yugi sighed. _"Sorry, Mom,"_ he said inwardly.

"I can see your soul," Yugi admitted.

"See my soul?" Atem repeated.

"Yeah. It's like… your personality and your feelings represented in a physical form," Yugi explained. "And all the things I just said, I saw in your soul. That's how I know that something's really wrong. That's how I knew that you were lying to me."

Atem looked at the ground. "Yugi, please understand," he said softly. "I wanted to tell you. But you can't know. No one can know. You and others will get hurt if I tell anyone about what's happened to me."

"We've been in tight spots before. We can handle trouble," Yugi said. "We haven't just been playing card games for the past couple of years, if you hadn't noticed."

"This is different," Atem said. "These people, my 'enemies,' will find you and torture you and kill you if they learn that you even have the slightest knowledge of their existence."

"Well, I guess my fate is sealed," Yugi said. "So do you want to help me take these people down, or do you want to keep pretending as though this conversation never happened?"

Atem sat down on his bed, defeated. "The organization is known as Lethe's Anodyne," Atem began. "On July 3rd, when I was returning from the grocery store, four of their members stopped me. I was force-fed some strange kind of water, which made me hallucinate. I passed out, and when I woke up I was naked and chained to a wall by my wrists and ankles. I remained there, alone, for three days."

Yugi stopped him there. "Wait a minute—three days? But you were only gone for a couple of hours."

"While I was unconscious, I was transported to a different reality, where time passes much more quickly," Atem explained. "Well, when I was finally visited by my captors, hunger and thirst had made me quite compliant to their wishes. As I ate and drank, they told me that they had singled me out because of my magical experience to be one of their 'serfs,' or captured servants. Unless I obeyed them, I and those close to me would die in the room that I had been held in. So I agreed to serve them.

"Lethe's Anodyne is in the business of erasing memories. Certain wealthy clients pay Lethe's Anodyne to protect them by removing certain events from an individual's mind. I was trained in the despicable art for two weeks, and then I was released back to the normal world with the knowledge that my loved ones would suffer if I told them anything about my experiences," Atem explained.

"Do you think that they'd be able to find out that you talked to me about this?" Yugi asked.

"They are experts in memory, Yugi. They read my mind every time I return to headquarters," Atem replied. "Unless I wipe my memory and yours of this event, they are going to discover my betrayal the next time I'm called."

"The next time you're called?" Yugi asked.

"When Lethe's Anodyne wishes me to erase someone's memory, they call me," Atem said. "It's difficult to describe. But I feel a very strong desire to teleport to their reality, a desire that I can't fight."

Yugi thought about this. The next time Atem was called—which could be at any moment—Lethe's Anodyne would discover Atem's infidelity, and Yugi and Atem would be doomed. There had to be some way of outsmarting this organization. "Alright, here's what you should do," Yugi said finally. "Erase my memory. Make me forget all about how you've been acting weird, what I've seen in your soul, and this conversation. Then erase certain parts of your own memory so that it seems like I learned about your weird behavior through my soul sight, so you erased my memory to protect me. But before you do, write a note to yourself in Ancient Egyptian to remind you of what I'm about to say—you can take down Lethe's Anodyne from the inside. Be the best memory-eraser in the group. Earn their trust. Then you can stop them."

"That's a complicated plan," Atem said thoughtfully. "… But it just might work."

"Alright. Write that note—make it look like a grocery list or something," Yugi instructed. Atem quickly complied. "Okay. Well… anytime you're ready."

"Are you certain about this?" Atem asked. "Yugi… I'm violating your mind. I'm changing your natural perspective on the world. Do you really want me to go through with this?"

"To be honest, it does feel a little weird," Yugi said. "But I'd rather lose a few memories than lose my life. Go ahead—I trust you."

Atem stood up and looked Yugi in the eye. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and finally Atem delved into Yugi's inner mind, flipping through his memories as if he were skimming a book. He began to wipe out little sections of Yugi's past—when Yugi had seen Atem act strangely, when Yugi had seen Atem's soul, when Yugi and Atem had argued. All of it, now, was gone.

When Atem was finished, he pulled out of Yugi's mind. Yugi collapsed, unconscious, and Atem caught him before he hit the floor. He placed Yugi on the couch, as if he had gone for a nap, and then returned to his bedroom. Yugi had put a lot of faith in him, even after Atem had just lied to him. Atem needed to honor that. He needed to follow Yugi's instructions and keep both of them safe.

Atem turned to the mirror and looked in his eyes. He stared deeply into them until he entered his own mind. Again, he took metaphysical white-out to his memories, covering up everything that could endanger Yugi. He retreated from his mind. It was done, and it was irreversible.

* * *

Atem picked himself off the floor and rubbed his head. That was strange… he must have passed out. Maybe the thing that had affected Yugi's stomach earlier was getting to him. Yes, that made sense. 

A piece of paper lay innocently on his desk. He didn't remember writing it, but he must have written it. It was penned in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. But what did it say? He couldn't remember. He picked up the note and read it.

"Yugi, imbued with the power to see physical manifestations of people's souls, has discovered the truth about Lethe's Anodyne. At his recommendation, you erased your and his memories of any incriminating events in order to protect him. Yugi has also recommended that you try to work your way into the upper echelon of Lethe's Anodyne so that you can take it down from the inside."

Atem paused. He had written that? Was it true? It explained why he couldn't remember much of today's events. But it seemed so far-fetched. Yugi could see manifestations of people's souls? And by seeing Atem's soul (presumably) he had managed to learn about Lethe's Anodyne? Then, to top it all off, Yugi had suggested that Atem take down Lethe's Anodyne from the inside? It all seemed so strange, but somehow, it also seemed perfectly reasonable.

If this was true, he would need to keep Yugi ignorant of Lethe's Anodyne by all means. Simultaneously, he would have to serve Lethe's Anodyne with extraordinary diligence. It would be difficult, but Yugi had sacrificed his memories for Atem to become an upper, and so Atem would become an upper.


	3. Up the Ladder

Yugi drifted out of the living room, rubbing his head. He passed by Atem's room and glanced at the former pharaoh, who was sitting and staring pensively at a piece of paper. "Hey," Yugi greeted softly. Atem looked up and tucked the piece of paper into his pocket.

"Good afternoon," Atem replied. "Did you enjoy your nap?"

Yugi paused. "Nap?" he asked. "That's what I was doing on the couch?"

"Of course," Atem said. "After you ate your cereal, you were feeling a little sick. After a few trips to the bathroom, you decided to take a rest on the couch. Don't you remember?" Naturally, Yugi shook his head. "Well, I wasn't feeling very well either. I threw out the milk—I think it was bad."

Yugi absorbed this lie as though it were the most truthful thing in the world. When the mind was without an explanation, it snatched up anything that was available. "Oh… well, except for a headache, I feel fine now," Yugi said. "So it must not have been that bad."

"No, it must not have," Atem agreed. Yugi smiled and headed off to his bedroom. He was completely unaware that anything was out of the ordinary. That way, he would be safe.

Atem returned to his room and shut the door. He would be gone for a few weeks or longer, but it would only seem like a few minutes to the inhabitants of this world. He concentrated. The world dissolved into silvery mist, and then a landscape formed out of the fog. Grass sprouted beneath Atem's feet, and a path of stone wound its way up to a hill. A mansion stood at the peak, monolithic in the grayish light.

Enormous eyes floated above the walkway, jerking and twitching as they glanced this way and that. The eyes, called watchers, were bewitched to act as magical security cameras. Atem walked confidently before them. Lethe's Anodyne would be surprised to find him here, and he would be subjected to a memory-read, but Atem didn't have to worry about that. They were not trained to read his thoughts, and could only sense his past actions.

When he approached the mansion's large and heavily barred front door, he placed his hand on the pad that would read his fingerprints. It checked his identity and unlocked the door for him. Almost immediately, he was confronted by the volunteers.

"I don't remember you being called," a woman said harshly. "What is a serf like you doing here?"

Lethe's Anodyne had three types of members—volunteers, serfs, and uppers. Volunteers, as their name suggested, volunteered to join Lethe's Anodyne and were subjected to a rigorous series of examinations to determine how magically skilled they were. Serfs were chosen from the masses because of their magical aptitude or some supernatural talent. They were initiated against their will and called occasionally to do the clients' will. And uppers were members who had demonstrated extraordinary diligence, ability, or cruelty, and had been selected to serve in the upper echelon. No serf had ever become an upper. If he succeeded, Atem would be the first.

"I came to do my duty to the company," Atem replied. The woman, who had been working for Lethe's Anodyne for over forty years, grew a few new white hairs from shock. "What? Is it so surprising that I want to do my best for my employer? Don't be a fool."

"Some serfs would rather kill themselves than come back here," the woman stammered. "You don't even have a mission."

"Then I'll wait until I do have one," Atem said dismissively, striding toward the serfs' quarters. "Let me know, will you?" As the woman stared incredulously at his back, he slipped into the serfs' quarters with a self-satisfied smile.

This was step one. The story of his unusual dedication to Lethe's Anodyne would spread among the volunteers. He sat down on his bed, squished between the rows and columns of other beds, and wondered how long he would need to stay here in order to accomplish his goal. How long, he wondered, would he be away from Yugi? Weeks? Months? Years? It was impossible to know.

Atem lay down and sighed. He would hate to spend years in this place, away from his home, away from his friends. But he would do whatever it took to protect Yugi.

* * *

"It looks like you have a new mission," Aaron said. Atem groaned and pushed himself out of the covers. As if to test his new resolve, he had been loaded with mission after mission since he had announced his fidelity. The sun hadn't even risen, for heaven's sake. And already, he had been strapped with another odious job.

As Atem put on his day clothes, Aaron, a donnish volunteer and an administrator of mission distribution, explained Atem's mission. "A prominent businessman in Kyoto is worried that his daughter's boyfriend is being paid to spy on his family. He wants you to examine his daughter's memories and determine if his suspicions are true. Furthermore, if you find that the boyfriend has been spying, you are instructed to remove the boyfriend's memories so that he is no longer a threat." Aaron passed Atem a folder. "Here's everything you need to know. You know what you need to do, I assume?" Drowsily, Atem nodded. "Well, then, I'll see you later."

Atem didn't care that he was supposed to be climbing the ladder to the upper echelon. Before he headed to Kyoto, he was going to eat breakfast. He loaded up his plate with some grayish-white sludge (was it oatmeal? It could have been rice) and sat down at an industrial table. He was alone in the serf section—he had been loaded with so many missions that the other serfs were hardly needed.

He had been here for three weeks so far. He had erased the childhoods of little children. He had taken away the best moments of people's lives. He had changed individuals' pasts so much that they were never the same. And none of these changes were reversible. He had done terrible things in the name of doing good. Sometimes he lay in bed at night and wondered if it was worth it to sacrifice his honor to protect Yugi. But then he realized—of course it was worth it. He would lay down his life for Yugi. Why wouldn't he sacrifice everything else?

Yugi didn't know anything about Atem's little excursion, thankfully. Atem had probably only been gone for about thirty minutes in Earth time. Due to the discrepancy in time speed, Atem had found a whole new staff when he returned to Lethe's Anodyne. This was why Atem could not return to Earth while he was trying to build up his reputation. If he did, all of the uppers and volunteers would be either dead or retired, and he would have to start from the beginning again.

Having finished the gray stew, Atem dropped the paper bowl into the incinerator and headed outside. Transporting inside was taboo, and Atem didn't need a black mark on his record. He had to be nearly perfect in everything he did. _Kyoto, Earth_, he thought, and the world dissolved into silver smoke.

Atem didn't like to take time in his missions. Every second he wasted here was an hour in Lethe's Anodyne. Besides, it would look best if he was efficient. The businessman's daughter would be walking to high school any minute now. Atem would approach from the opposite direction, catch her eye, and then delve into her mind while they maintained eye contact. Eye contact was essential to memory reading.

The slim seventeen-year-old girl bounced down the street, looking cheerful and chewing pink bubble gum. Atem leaned against a building casually and then glanced at her. Even when he stared innocuously at the ground, he managed to attract attention, of the opposite sex especially. But when he actually intended to attract the attention of a young woman, no mortal could resist him.

Just as expected, the young girl looked at him and winked slyly. Atem could sense that she was about to hurry on, but he quickly stopped her by entering her mind. She froze at Atem read her past. Well, as far as this girl had seen, the boyfriend hadn't even acted strangely since they had begun to go out. It was likely that the boyfriend was just a boyfriend, and not a hired spy. Many times, Lethe's Anodyne's clients were just paranoid and rich, and their suspicions were not rooted in any sort of fact. Atem was just fortunate that he had not been asked to obliterate the innocent boyfriend's mind "just to be safe." It wouldn't have been the first time.

Atem retreated from the girl's mind, and she collapsed on the ground. A few passersby stopped to help her. Atem disappeared around the corner before anyone could notice him and transported out of Earth's dimension.

He had left Lethe's Anodyne just as dawn was breaking, but it was after dark when he returned. In the weeks he had been here, Atem's internal clock had been thrown way off kilter. He would probably stay up for a few hours studying and then go back to bed.

He entered the library and picked up the book that he had started on soul seers. If Yugi was really a soul seer, Atem wanted to know what he could do. Atem often wondered why Yugi had kept his abilities a secret—surely Yugi didn't think that Atem would think badly of him because of that?

"Studying up again?" a gravelly voice asked. Atem sighed and shut his book.

"Good evening, Ulysses," Atem replied. Ulysses walked out from behind a row of bookshelves, smiling. The smile seemed disturbingly pleasant, inconsistent with Ulysses' true intentions. Ulysses was an upper, and he was the only upper to frequent with volunteers and serfs. Unfortunately, he only frequented with volunteers and serfs to torment, torture, and taunt them. He had recently made Atem his primary target.

Ulysses casually snatched the book out of Atem's hands. Atem didn't resist. "Hm… soul seers… interesting subject," he observed. "Just curious? Or is there something else on your mind?"

"It's just some light reading," Atem said. "There isn't much else to do here, if you haven't noticed. Well, for serfs, anyway." The uppers had all sorts of amenities that were not available to the rest. Serfs had nothing to do but study in the library, but it was rumored that the uppers had a whole hidden floor for entertainment.

Ulysses snorted dismissively as he flipped through the pages. "So, how's Yugi?"

Atem clenched his jaw. He could tolerate all sorts of abuse, but any talk of Yugi made his blood boil. And that, of course, was the subject that Ulysses touched on most frequently. "He's fine," Atem seethed. "Just as I left him."

"As far as you know," Ulysses replied dismissively. "You of all people should know that a great deal can happen to a person in a few minutes."

Statements like these always rattled Atem. He could never be sure if Ulysses was threatening Yugi or merely trying to mess with him. And what was worse, Atem couldn't go back and check on Yugi without displaying an excessive affection for his former life. Uppers didn't have connections with the outside world.

"If you don't mind, I would like my book back—I was in the middle of a chapter," Atem said finally, as calmly as possible. Ulysses smirked, happy that he had caused Atem a little more suffering, and shoved the book into Atem's hands. Atem glared at him as he left. He hated that man more than he could stand.


	4. Persuasion

Yugi, Atem had learned, could become extremely powerful as a soul seer. The title of "soul seer" was slightly misleading—soul seers had myriad other powers at their disposal. As they grew more experienced, they could also read minds, sense emotion, and control others. Had Yugi already developed these powers? Had he used them?

Atem often wished that he could return to Earth and have Yugi answer all of his questions. He would ask when Yugi had discovered his powers, how he had used them, and why he had never told Atem anything about this enormous secret. It was one of the many wishes that Atem mused upon when he was alone and unbothered.

Yugi's power let him do extraordinary things, but it also put him in extraordinary danger. The black market paid thousands to get a hold of a soul seer's eyes. Soul seers had often been enslaved to do their master's bidding, or killed because they were different. Even Lethe's Anodyne, Atem heard, used soul seers as serfs because of their natural aptitude for observing and manipulating the minds of others.

Atem prepared for his usual evening torture as Ulysses strode once again into the library. "What are you still doing here?" Ulysses asked. "Don't you want to go meet your new roommate?"

"Roommate?" Atem asked. There was a new serf? But Atem was taking care of nearly all of Lethe's Anodyne's missions—they were terminating serfs, not enslaving them. "Have they finished their initiation?"

"Not quite—they're being persuaded now," Ulysses answered. Persuasion was just a euphemism for the three-day session of isolation and starvation that "persuaded" the new serf to join Lethe's Anodyne. Atem shuddered inwardly to think of anyone having to go through that. His own persuasion had been horrific enough. "Do you want to go watch? I heard that he's already started to cry, and it's only been a few hours."

This was an upper's idea of a nice pastime, watching people suffer. But if Atem wanted to be an upper, he would have to play their demented game. "I don't have much else to do—why not?" Atem replied. He put away his book on soul seers for the final time and walked with Ulysses to the persuasion room.

"So what did you learn?" Ulysses asked. Atem raised his eyebrows at him. "In your book, of course—you've finished it, haven't you?"

"Just some basic facts; nothing too relevant," Atem answered. "So tell me about this new roommate of mine. Where did you find him?"

"Actually, we found him in your home town, Domino," Ulysses said. "You might find him familiar."

Something about Ulysses' tone worried Atem instantly. This was not the subtle, conniving taunt that Ulysses usually annoyed Atem with. This was different. This was dangerous. Something had changed. Atem felt himself hurrying slightly. Who was this new roommate of his?

They stepped into the observation room, where a large one-way mirror let Lethe's Anodyne peek at the misery of the soon-to-be serf without being seen in return. Feeling a combination of curiosity and anxiety, Atem lifted his eyes and looked in the room. Before he could restrain himself, he left a soft, horrified gasp escape from his lips. Ulysses grinned with satisfaction.

Sobs and shudders echoed through the empty white room. Tears dripped to the floor and stained the ground. Yugi, naked and hungry and ashamed, pulled his knees to his chest, sniffing.

"See? I told you that you might find him familiar," Ulysses noted.

This was not part of the plan, Atem thought. He had stayed here, lonely and sleep-deprived, to earn a spot in the upper echelon. And he had wanted to earn a spot in the upper echelon in order to protect Yugi. But now Yugi had been captured. What was the point of continuing with this charade? Fury and frustration roared in Atem's mind, so much that he could barely hear Yugi's weeping. He rounded on Ulysses with his teeth bared.

"You did this, didn't you?" Atem demanded. "You were the one who enslaved Yugi, just to torture me! How dare you hurt him. He's innocent."

Ulysses chuckled. "Uppers don't have connections with the outside world. I thought that you would appreciate this—this way, you can still be friends with Yugi and fulfill your aspiration."

"I don't care about becoming an upper if it means that Yugi would have to go through what I went through," Atem seethed. "Release him immediately."

"You may have been working overtime lately, Atem, but you're still a serf," Ulysses said darkly. "You have no more control over this situation than little Yugi does. The upper echelon decides who will serve and who will be released—and you know that there are only two ways to release a serf. One of them, of course, is termination… The other is an extensive memory alteration. And you knowall about that, certainly."

Atem paused. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"If you altered Yugi's memory, he could technically be released and be perfectly safe," Ulysses answered. "And I'm sure that you've done it plenty of times before. After all, soul seers can easily discern the more secretive aspects of a person's life, as you've read."

Atem felt the blood drain from his face. How did Ulysses know all of this? He was obviously aware that Yugi was a soul seer. He even seemed to be aware that Atem had erased Yugi's memory to protect him. But how? Atem had erased his own memory as well, only leaving himself a note in a dead language, one that few others could read. Ulysses, whether he was an upper or not, could only read Atem's sensory memories—sight, smell, sound. He couldn't read Atem's thoughts. Or could he?

Wait. Something that Ulysses had just said struck a cord—soul seers _could_ easily discern the more secretive aspects of a person's life. They could see a person's personality, manipulate their behavior… and read their thoughts.

"You're a soul seer," Atem stated. "You knew about my plans all along!"

"Yes, I did," Ulysses replied casually. "It was interesting to see you squirm all this time, gritting your teeth while I piled on assignments and taunted you about your friend." Atem clenched his fists. Because Ulysses knew about Atem's intentions, Atem would never be allowed to become an upper. And now Atem and Yugi would both be forced to serve Lethe's Anodyne until they died.

Ulysses strolled up toward the mirror and peered at Yugi. Yugi had stopped crying and started to stare aimlessly at the ground. The shock had faded; catatonia had set in. "It's quite a phenomenon when two soul seers look at each other's souls," Ulysses observed casually. "The soul of a soul seer doesn't have a definite shape—it's like a mirror, reflecting the image of the soul that it observes. So when two soul seers look at each other, their souls appear completely blank."

"What are you going to do with us?" Atem asked. "Now that both of our secrets are out in the open, what's going to happen?"

Ulysses frowned. "You've been causing Lethe's Anodyne more trouble than you're worth. But Yugi… Soul seers are valuable to this organization. And I can tell from your memories that he will submit to us easily. But I can also tell that he will take your termination badly. We'll keep both of you here… but on my terms." He turned to Atem and their eyes met. Suddenly Atem felt himself be pushed violently into darkness, and all he heard was evil laughter.

* * *

Weak and wasted, Yugi awakened from his macerated stupor. Dimly, he noticed that the weight of his chains had been lifted. He also noticed that the room was not quite as bright anymore. A small glimmer of hope flickered in his mind. Had he been set free?

The smell of sustenance drifted into Yugi's nostrils. He breathed it in with longing. He desperately hoped that that food was for him. Suddenly plates and a pitcher were slammed onto the table before him. Without even waiting to see who had given it to him, Yugi lunged forward and began drinking straight out of the pitcher. Oh, water. It was so cool, so sweet. He let it drip down his chin as he set the pitcher aside and started devouring the amorphous gray slop in the bowl. He didn't know what it was, but it was the most delicious thing in the world.

"You've seen the power that we have over you," a deep, baritone voice said. "We can feed you or starve you at a whim. We control your life and your destiny. So choose—serve us always, or return to that room. And this time, you won't come out alive."

Yugi pulled his legs up in front of him, trying to cover his nakedness from this man in the dark. "I'll—I'll serve you," Yugi stammered. He would do anything—anything—to never return to that room again. He felt a hand on his back pull him out of his chair and shove him into a damp room. The door slammed shut behind him, and water began to stream from the ceiling. Hesitantly, Yugi stood under the utilitarian shower and let it wash off three days of filth. He felt sleepy, and all the more so in this warm, steamy water. He could barely stay standing by the time the water turned off and another door opened. He drowsily drifted over to the new room.

Bunk beds lined the wall. Yugi ignored the pile of clothes on the nightstand and slid between the covers naked. He was asleep within minutes. His torture was over, but his service was just beginning.


	5. Friends and Enemies

Yugi awoke the next day and hoped that he would not find himself in that room again. He hoped the he would still be in that bed. He hoped even more that this had all just been a bad dream and that he would wake up at home. If he were home, Atem would be waiting for him in the kitchen with breakfast. If he were home, he would be able to go to the arcade with his friends and challenge Joey to a game of Duel Monsters. If he were home, he would be free. But he opened his eyes and he wasn't home. At least, though, he wasn't in that cell either.

Remembering that he hadn't bothered to put any clothes on last night, he slipped into the dull, rough clothes that had been given to him. The pants were baggy around his legs and piled around his feet. They would hardly stay on, they were so big. And the shirt was no better, because the sleeves hung inches over his hands. His captors obviously hadn't anticipated his small size.

After an extended ritual of rolling and tucking, Yugi managed to transform his swollen outfit into something that he could actually wear. He looked around. All of the beds were made except for his; did anyone else live here? Assuming that he was free to explore a bit, he walked out of the door at the end of the room.

He stepped onto a balcony that overlooked a large room. He was certainly not the only one living here—dozens of people, young and old, scurried around the bottom floor like little ants. There was a cafeteria down there, and Yugi was starving, so he padded down the stairs in his bare feet and headed to get himself a plate of that excellent gray gruel.

Though there were plenty of people bustling around the cafeteria, Yugi seemed to be invisible to all of them. They treated him as though he were a ghost. Yugi was grateful for this at the moment—all he wanted to do was eat, not get into any conversations with strangers. He grabbed a bowl of slop and a bottle of water and sat down at a table to eat.

Just as he went to take a bit, someone decided to speak to him. "Hey, serf," a fierce woman said loudly. Yugi looked up at her, confused and afraid. "This ain't your section. Get up before I call the upper echelon on you."

Serf? Upper echelon? Yugi wasn't even quite sure what some of those words meant. But he could tell that he was not wanted at that table. "I'm sorry," Yugi apologized, standing and picking up his food. "Can you tell me where my section is?" The woman seemed agitated as she pointed to an empty set of tables in the corner. "Thanks—sorry," Yugi apologized again, and he hurried over to his section.

All of this was so sudden. He had just been brushing his teeth when someone burst into his bathroom and forced some strange watery liquid down his throat. The world had seemed to explode, turning all sorts of psychedelic colors and shapes. And when he had woken up the next day, he had been in that cell, alone and starved for three long days.

Now what? He had already agreed to serve this organization, whatever it was, but did that mean he would never be able to return home and see his friends again? He was bound to serve them always, but did that mean every moment of every day or until he died? He wished that someone here would actually explain everything to him and not treat him as though he were a soda can kicked around a parking lot.

He plowed into his food. Somehow, the grayish gruel didn't taste nearly as good as it had the night before. Then someone put a hand on his shoulder. Yugi turned around, sighing, and expected someone to tell him to move again. But when he looked up into the face of the person who had disturbed him, he gasped.

"Atem?" Yugi asked. Atem smiled softly. "Atem, you're here!" Yugi exclaimed. He threw his arms around Atem's neck and embraced him with all of his strength. "I was so afraid, Atem," Yugi said softly. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"I sorry that you're here, Yugi," Atem replied. "I hoped that you would never have to be a part of this."

Yugi pulled back. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I've been here for a few months now," Atem explained. "I was initiated long before you were. This organization is known as Lethe's Anodyne, and it specializes in erasing people's memories."

Immediately, Yugi noticed that Atem was acting strangely. He seemed almost… robotic. He spoke with a level, calm voice, so calm that it was monotonous and dull. His face showed only a trace of emotion, such as the small smile that had earlier touched his lips. And when Yugi had hugged Atem, Atem had just stood there. Every movement Atem made was incredibly deliberate—too deliberate. It wasn't natural.

That wasn't the only thing that was weird. Atem said he had been gone for a few months, but Yugi had just seen him four days ago. "How could you have been gone for so long?" Yugi asked.

"Time travels more quickly here," Atem replied emotionlessly. "Lethe's Anodyne is located in a different dimension than Earth."

"Right," Yugi said. "Well, what am I supposed to do here? I can't erase people's memories."

"You'll learn," Atem answered. "It should be easy for you."

Yugi frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"Soul seers have a natural predisposition for magic that deals with people's minds and identities," Atem said lightly.

"How—how do you know about that?" Yugi demanded. He had never told Atem that he could see people's souls! He had promised his mother that he would never tell anyone! He wouldn't betray that promise unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Lethe's Anodyne knows a lot about you," Atem answered. "Why do you think that they chose you? Serfs are only enslaved when they are known to have special qualities. I had extensive experience with magic. You are a soul seer."

Yugi was beginning to understand. "So I'm going to have to learn how to erase people's memories because I'm a serf?" he asked.

Atem nodded. "And, as I learned this morning, I am to be your teacher," he said. "We'll begin after you eat. Meet me in the library when you're finished." He pointed briefly to a room beneath the balcony and left without another word, walking stiffly and quickly.

Yugi stared after him. What on earth could be making Atem act so weird? He said that he had been here for months. Maybe something or someone in Lethe's Anodyne had seriously affected him. Maybe his own initiation had been far worse than Yugi, so that he had been traumatized into that unemotional state. Or maybe something was influencing him directly. Yugi scooped the rest of the food into his mouth and headed off to the library to see if he could figure out what had gone wrong in Atem's brain.

Atem was standing like a statue next to a plushy reading chair. "Good, you're ready to start," Atem said. "Sit." Yugi obeyed him and sat down. "First you need to learn how to enter a person's mind. The most important thing to remember is eye contact. Do you already know how to read thoughts?"

"Read thoughts?" Yugi repeated. Could he really be able to do that someday?

"I suppose not," Atem concluded quickly. "Well, reading thoughts is similar to entering a person's mind, but not exactly the same. Reading thoughts is like reading a magazine—you see exactly what's happening now, with all of the glamour of that person's beliefs and emotions. Entering someone's mind is like reading a history book. You don't get to see how people feel or what they think, but you get to see exactly what they have done and what they have sensed." Atem raised his hand and produced a specter-like image of a young girl. "Look into her eyes and focus on her mind. Imagine her life as a history book. Try to force your way into her consciousness so that you can flip through the pages of her memory."

Atem's description of mind-entering seemed rather abstract to Yugi, but he tried his best. He stared into the specter-girl's dull eyes and imagined that there was a life behind them. He gazed at her pupils until her felt himself falling into them. The darkness was complete except for a signal ray of light shining onto an enormous tome. Yugi reached towards it to open it, but he felt a strong electric shock shoot up his arm. He cried out and retreated from the specter's mind.

"I told you to enter her mind, not read her memories. You succeeded. That's good, but you went too far," Atem said coldly.

Yugi panted. He felt his muscles twitching uncontrollably. "You… you hurt me," Yugi said incredulously.

"I am your teacher, and you're going to have to learn to obey me completely," Atem explained. "And I've found that pain corrects ill manners quickly."

Yugi stared at Atem. First he had been emotionless and solemn, and then he had actually hurt Yugi! Atem would never do such a thing. He would rather die than let Yugi get hurt, much less hurt Yugi himself. This was not Atem. Something must have been wrong. Atem obviously wouldn't tell Yugi the truth in the state he was in, but there were other ways that Yugi could find out.

He turned on his soul vision and peered at Atem's soul. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from gasping. Atem's soul was a stitched-together Frankenstein, twisted and incongruous. That only meant one thing—Atem was being controlled by another person.

"What's the matter?" Atem asked. "You need to learn to accept punishment. You will listen to me next time, won't you?"

Yugi shuddered a little with horror. "Yes, I'll listen to you, Atem," Yugi said. Atem nodded, and their lesson continued. Yugi needed to find out who was controlling Atem, and why. And then he would free Atem from their control, no matter who they were and what they could do.


	6. The Delicate Art of CounterPossession

How, Yugi wondered, was he ever supposed to amass enough magical talent to free Atem from his possessor? Atem, or whoever was controlling him, had told him that soul seers had a special talent for mind-related magic, but that didn't mean that Yugi could become a master in a few weeks. After five days of study, he still didn't know how to actually erase memories.

If only he knew more about his own abilities. There might have been something about soul seers in the magical library. But Atem was almost always in there, training Yugi relentlessly. Yugi would have to sneak in during the night, when Atem was sleeping.

Yugi headed back off to the library to continue his studies. Atem had kept asking Yugi if he had learned to read thoughts yet, perhaps because his controller didn't want Yugi to know the truth. Whether that was the case or not, Yugi had tried and failed to read other people's thoughts many times. Maybe his powers hadn't evolved that far yet. Or maybe he was just a sub-par soul seer who _couldn't_ do anything except see souls.

"Good evening, Yugi," Atem greeted aloofly. "Are you ready to begin the next part of your training?"

"Are you actually going to let me read people's memories today?" Yugi asked. He still remembered the painful electric shock he had received for his disobedience, and he hadn't broken the rules since then.

"You've proven that you've mastered the art of entering people's minds," Atem replied, oblivious to the slightly bitter note in Yugi's voice. "Now it's time to move on." As he always did when the training session began, he raised his arm and summoned the specter-girl. "Enter her mind and tell me about her eighth birthday," he instructed.

Yugi stood, because he hadn't been instructed to sit down, and stared the specter in the eyes. He pushed his way into her memory room and examined the metaphysical chronicle floating in the middle of the darkness. He opened the book in the middle and received a harsh shock. Automatically, Yugi retreated from her mind in surprise and pain. What had he done wrong this time?

"There is a table of contents; don't waste time flipping through the pages," Atem said sternly. "When you read someone's mind, you often don't have much time to do it."

"Right," Yugi hissed through gritted teeth. Those shocks were painful and common. Atem dealt them out for every fault he could possibly perceive, be it deliberate disobedience or just innocent ignorance. Yugi tried to shake the fuzz out of his head and the tingle out of his fingertips. But he didn't waste much time recovering. That would only lead to another shock.

He entered the specter's mind again and opened her memory book at the beginning. No shock this time. The table of contents was organized by years and subcategorized by months and then days. Important events were included in parentheses next to the date. He located the specter's eighth birthday and flipped quickly to that page. After reading, Yugi retreated from the phantom's mind.

"She spent her eighth birthday at her grandparents' house," Yugi said. "She and her family went down to the river and fished and had a picnic together."

"Correct," Atem said. "Good job. Go to bed; I'll see you tomorrow morning at eight." Yugi nodded and left quickly. He headed off to the serfs' quarters, changed his pajamas, and climbed into his bed, but he didn't close his eyes. He lay there for four tedious hours, doing nothing but thinking and staring at the ceiling, until he was certain that Atem had left the library and gone to bed.

Yugi flipped off the covers and headed to the library. No one noticed his absence—the slave's quarters were completely empty except for him. Even Atem, a serf himself, didn't sleep in this room. The main floor was deserted. The building was silent. Yugi seemed to be the only one stirring at this late hour.

He stepped into the library and turned on the light. The glaring fluorescents hurt his eyes. Squinting, he began to search for any literature that could tell him what he wanted to know. Then he found a book written all about soul seers.

First things first. He checked the table of contents. Although Atem had made his point harshly, his point was still valid. Yugi had a bad habit of flipping through pages to get what he wanted instead of going to the table of contents or to the index. Good. There was a section devoted to soul seer abilities.

Yugi read nonstop for hours. Soul seers varied in the speed with which they manifested their powers. Some people only got the sight after puberty, while others were capable of seeing souls at birth. Some people spent decades learning their other powers, but other people got all their powers at once. As time went on, soul seers could learn how to read thoughts, read emotions, possess, and counter-possess. The concept of counter-possession intrigued Yugi, so he had read that section closely. In essence, the chapter had said that the final power soul seers developed was the ability to possess people who were already possessed. This was perfect for freeing Atem, Yugi knew, but he wished that he could manifest his powers sooner. He couldn't even read thoughts yet, and he didn't want to wait decades to liberate his friend. He would just have to keep pushing his powers to his limits. By the end of this week, he decided, he would learn to read thoughts, no matter how hard he had to work.

The library door opened. Yugi froze. What time was it? He realized with horror that the sun had already risen. While scrambling to put his book back in the right place, Atem walked as stiffly as a robot into the library. "Yugi," Atem said. Yugi jumped and turned to Atem, wringing his hands.

"Hi, good morning," Yugi greeted nervously. Atem cocked his head at Yugi slightly.

"What are you doing here so early in the morning?' Atem asked. "I told you to come here at eight."

"I-I wasn't trying to disobey you," Yugi said hastily. He wasn't in the mood for another electric shock. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to just come down here and read…"

Atem nodded, accepting this excuse. "What were you reading?" he asked. He extended his hand, and Yugi gave him the book about soul seers. When he saw the title, the corners of Atem's lips twitched in a feeble attempt at a smile. "I read this book too, a few weeks ago," he said. "How far have you gotten?"

"Well, I just skipped to the part about abilities," Yugi answered. "With you asking me if I've been able to read thoughts every time we see each, I figure I should start trying to learn how."

"Don't worry about that. It will manifest when it's time," Atem said. Yugi was silent. Whoever was controlling Atem wanted to put off Yugi's mind-reading for as long as possible, but Yugi had no time to waste. "You still have two and a half hours before our lesson starts. Get a shower, having something to eat, take a nap. I'll see you later," Atem said. Yugi gratefully headed off to the cafeteria. The all-nighter was beginning to catch up with him, and he was certainly not ready to begin another training session now.

He picked up a bowl of gruel and sat down at one of the serfs' tables. Volunteers were chattering a few tables away. Yugi tried to hear what they were talking about, but they were too far away. Finally, while straining to make out a few words, he heard something loud and clear in his mind: "I wish that serf would stop staring at us."

Yugi paused. What had he just heard? How could he have discerned that sentence so clearly? He tried to hear them again. Straining, he focused his ears on their conversation. He heard nothing but soft muttering at first, but then he heard something else: "The uppers have been such jerks lately. Even to the volunteers. What's up with them?"

A soft smile of hope crossed Yugi's lips. He had done it! He had just read those volunteers' minds! When he had wanted it most, when he had needed it most, his body had speed up the manifestation. If such a thing was possible, then he could technically speed up the manifestation of counter-possession too! He might be able to save Atem in just a couple of weeks.

But the use of his new powers had worn him out even more. He finished his food as quickly as his tired body would allow and then dropped into his bed, falling asleep almost instantaneously. The alarm went off at 7:23, and Yugi took a quick shower to clear his head before skirting off to the library to begin another lesson.

After the day's lessons, Yugi headed off to bed and slept, even though it was only about four o'clock in the afternoon. He woke up again at midnight, which was perfect, because he wanted to spend another night in study. Today, however, he would be sure to keep an eye on the clock. It would just look suspicious if Atem saw him spending every night in the library.

If only he could summon a specter to practice on. It wouldn't be right to try to possess a real person. He could study up on possession easily enough, but how was he supposed to counter-possess Atem based on pure theory? What if he failed and Atem's possessor caught him?

On the other hand, what if he didn't fail? Atem would be free. He would study up a little bit, but he would go to bed again early and try tomorrow morning. It wasn't as if he would ever be any more ready than he was right now.


	7. Escape

Ah! Another one gone! What sort of day is this!?

Thanks to **Deviousdragon, LadyTsubasa, dragonlady222, Suma Amoru, Shamise, artist-girl731, lady Alexas, **and **LadyBastet92** for reviewing!

Thanks to **LadyTsubasa, Pharaohess163, Ramen Alchemist Sora, Serami Nefera, artist-girl731, **and **lady Alexas** for favoriting!

Thanks to **Black Magic2, LadyBastet92, Panguins-in-American-Oh-my, Pharaohess163, Ramen Alchemist Sora, Serami Nefera, Shamise, Suma Amoru, lady Alexas, potter-me-, **and **yuuhikari** for alerting!

And thanks to everybody for reading this fic!

* * *

At eight o'clock sharp, Yugi walked into the library. "It seems as though you were able to sleep well last night," Atem observed.

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, I slept much better," he said. He could barely keep the quaver out of his voice and the tremor out of his hands. He was incredibly nervous. The consequences of his failure were enormous—Yugi would be caught and punished, and Atem would continue to be possessed indefinitely.

"Have a seat," Atem instructed. Yugi sat down in the plushy chair, playing with his fingers. "You've learned quickly. I think that we can proceed beyond simple memory reading and start actual memory erasure. You've seen that memories take the form of a written chronicle. When erasing memories, imagine that you're taking white-out to that chronicle. Cover up those memories so completely that they can never be retrieved."

"Won't that person notice that they're missing whole parts of their life?" Yugi asked.

"You didn't," Atem said. Yugi staggered. Atem had erased his memory? "If you knew about Lethe's Anodyne, you could have been killed. In order to protect you, I erased the parts of your memory that could endanger you."

Yugi refused to accept this. Even if Yugi's life depended on it, Atem would never violate his mind like that, especially not after losing his own memories and searching for three years to get them back. Or… would he? He _had_ lied to Yugi about this place, even though Yugi had believed that Atem would never lie to him. What else was he capable of doing?

"Like nature, the human mind hates a vacuum," Atem explained. "It will devise its own memories when it has none."

Yugi nodded quietly. Although he was very disappointed in Atem's actions, he needed to concentrate and counter-possess Atem as soon as possible. Yugi tuned Atem out as he spoke and instead turned on his soul vision. Staring at the Frankenstein-like monster, he willed himself to find someway to get Atem's soul under _his_ control. Suddenly he saw tendrils extending from his body and slithering their way over to Atem's ankles. They wound their way all around his body and finally plunged into Atem's ears. In the middle of a sentence, Atem cried out and fell to his knees, shaking.

Yugi heard a voice screaming in his head. It rang through Yugi's mind and gave him a piercing headache. "_Please… please, stop shouting! I'm trying to help you,"_ Yugi said mentally.

"_Leave me alone! I'm tired of being in the dark," _the voice retorted angrily. _"Let me go."_

"_I'm trying!" _Yugi yelled. _"And if you'll stop screaming at me, I might be able to figure it out."_ The voice was silent. Yugi exited his mind and focused again on his tendrils of control. He extracted them from Atem's ears, and Atem's stitched soul slowly morphed into a new monster, a different monster—a monster of shame and regret. In the real world, Atem blinked.

"Yugi?" he asked quietly. "That was you?"

Yugi slid to the ground and hugged Atem with all his strength. "It's you, it's really you! It's you, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's me," Atem answered. "But I don't understand. Ulysses was controlling me… How did you possess me?"

"You read the book a few weeks ago, remember?" Yugi asked. "Soul seers can counter-possess. I didn't think I could, but I tried. And now your soul's at least a little back to normal."

Atem looked at the ground. "It seems as though we've both been keeping secrets from each other," he said. "You know why I didn't tell you about Lethe's Anodyne. Why didn't you tell me that you are a soul seer?"

"I promised my mom," Yugi explained. "She was worried that people would be afraid of me or try to use me if they knew. I knew that you wouldn't do anything like that… but I promised."

Atem nodded. "I understand. And I hope that you understand my reasons as well."

"I get why you didn't tell me," Yugi said uncertainly. "But… you erased my memories."

"Only because you asked me to," Atem replied. Yugi peered at him. "You saw my soul and you realized what was going on with Lethe's Anodyne. When I explained what danger you were in, you suggested that I write myself a note in Ancient Egyptian and then erase both our memories of our conversation. I would read the note and know that you had told me to work my way to the upper echelon so that I could take down Lethe's Anodyne from within. But I didn't tell you. If I had, I would have endangered us both."

Atem sighed. "But I failed, Yugi. I have done terrible things—violated peoples' minds—in order to reach the upper echelon, but an upper named Ulysses was able to read my thoughts and determine my plan. He captured you and initiated you, and when I confronted him he possessed me. I've watched as he's used my body to torment you… to hurt you. Yugi, I'm so sorry."

Yugi shook his head. "No, none of this is your fault. But what are we going to do now? This Ulysses probably knows that I counter-possessed you, and we're still enslaved to Lethe's Anodyne."

Atem frowned, deep in thought. Yugi couldn't imagine that there was any way out of this situation, but suddenly Atem looked up. He didn't seem very happy at his idea, which worried Yugi immediately. "We need to find some way to make it so that we never existed here," Atem said. "Erase the memories of those who know us, delete the records of our serfdom, and escape to Earth. If we can manage to stay safe on Earth for just a night, then we'll be safe."

"But how are we supposed to do the first two things?" Yugi asked. "Almost everyone here knows us, and those records are guarded or something. Besides, Ulysses is probably coming after us right now."

"Then we should hurry," Atem said. "If I can manage to combine your mind-magic energy with my memory-erasure, we might be able to project our power so that we can erase everyone's memories at once. And after you erase someone's memory, they pass out, buying us time to erase the records of our existence."

"Do you think we can actually do that?" Yugi asked. He kept glancing toward the door. He felt frantic and rushed and overwhelmed. Ulysses could come in at any minute.

Atem seemed as stressed as Yugi, but he stared Yugi in the eye with determination. "We might fail, but we must try," he said. He extended his hand. "Please, Yugi, lend me your strength." Yugi grabbed Atem's hand and squeezed it tightly. Atem closed his eyes and concentrated so hard that Yugi could see the muscles in his jaw.

All of a sudden, Yugi felt exhausted. The world seemed to swim before his eyes, and he was simultaneously starving and sick to his stomach. He thought that he was going to pass out, but Atem did not let his hand go. Yugi began to feel his life slipping out of him. He wanted to cry out, to tell Atem to stop it, but he couldn't even find the energy to form words. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Atem released Yugi's hand, and they both collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air.

"Yugi," Atem said softly, in between breaths, "we… need to get going."

"I know…" Yugi answered. "But… I'm so tired." Though tired too, Atem managed to push himself up to a standing position and, with a groan, pulled Yugi to his feet. He hooked Yugi's arm over his shoulder and managed to keep them both standing.

"We don't have much time," Atem panted. "We can sleep when we get home. But…" His knees shook dangerously. "But we need to erase those records. Come on." Atem helped—dragged, rather—Yugi to the door, and they slowly wound their way between the unconscious bodies of the volunteers and headed to the records room. The three men who worked there were asleep at their desks. Atem carelessly pushed one out of his chair and let Yugi fall into it.

"You know computers better than I do," Atem said. Yugi desperately tried to clear his head. The monitor in front of him was just a blur. He focused his eyes and opened up the database that recorded all of the serf information. The table was ordered alphabetically, last name first, so Yugi scrolled down to the M section and found Mutou, Yugi and Mutou, Atem. He deleted both of those rows and then checked the recycle bin to make sure that absolutely nothing remained. Then, to be safe, Yugi checked the Persons of Interest table as well. He and Atem were not present.

"Okay… that looks like that's all," Yugi said tiredly. "Let's get out of here."

Atem put his hand on Yugi's shoulder, and the world dissolved into silver smoke. Atem focused on their target location: _The Turtle Game Shop, Domino, Earth_. Suddenly there was a large thump. Yugi started to laugh. After transporting, he had fallen straight on his butt, because he had been sitting when they left Lethe's Anodyne.

Atem fell onto his knees with a smile on his face and hugged Yugi from the side. "You did an excellent job, Yugi," he said quietly. "Let's hope that they never realize we were there."

"Yeah," Yugi said. He closed his eyes. "I just want to go to sleep forever…"

Atem smiled softly. "Let's go to bed, Yugi," he said.

* * *

When Yugi woke up and peeked into Atem's bedroom, he was pleased to find that Atem was still there and still sleeping soundly. For the first time in history, Yugi had woken up before Atem. He leaned against the wall, watching Atem doze. He had never seen Atem sleep before. He looked so… young. Like a teenager. When Atem was awake, you could see the maturity and aged wisdom in his eyes, his speech, and everything he did. You could even see it etched into the face of his soul, or into that of his former soul, at least.

Last night, Atem's soul had turned from one monster into another. His soul had been mutilated by the evil things he had done. Yugi let his eyes see Atem's soul and viewed the same deformed creature. _"Please,"_ Yugi said. _"Please don't feel so ashamed. I want to see you whole again."_

Atem stirred slightly. He had heard Yugi with his unconscious mind. Maybe if Yugi kept talking to this part of him, then it would make more difference than speaking to him while he was awake.

"_Atem, I don't blame you for anything. I know that you did what you thought was best,"_ Yugi continued. _"I know that you felt helpless and alone, but all that you could think about was protecting me. Doesn't that prove how good you are? Doesn't that prove how much you care about people? You are kind, and you have a pure heart."_ Suddenly wings sprouted from the back of Atem's soul. Yugi smiled. It was working!

"_You… you're a great leader, and you're really mature. You've had some hard times and you've had some enemies, but you've won every battle and come through stronger."_ Atem's soul grew old and scarred; a sheathed sword appeared at his side and a crown appeared on his brow. Now he looked almost exactly like he had when he returned to life, except for a few more scars. Yugi smiled. _"There you are."_

Atem's eyes opened slowly. He looked at Yugi and chuckled softly while rubbing his eyes. "I believe this is the only time you've woken up first, Yugi," he stated. Yugi nodded. Atem sat up and took a long, deep breath. "It looks like we're safe. It worked."

"Yeah," Yugi replied. "How are you feeling?"

Atem paused for a moment. "Better than I have in a long time," he answered finally. "Much better."

Yugi smiled. _"There you are."_


End file.
